WPS Pharmacy Services

Transcription

1 Medication Management Smart Rx. Today, prescription drugs are the fastest-growing category of health care costs.1 In the last 15 years, prescription drug prices have risen at almost triple the rate of inflation.1 This alarming trend is linked directly to changes in the types of medications people take and increased utilization.2 The key to controlling prescription costs in your employee population is taking on the twin issues of types of drugs and utilization. It involves careful oversight and encouraging the use of lower-cost alternatives while ensuring your employees receive appropriate care. That s where WPS Pharmacy Services can help. WPS Pharmacy Services teams up with pharmacists and physicians to help make sure your employees receive the right drug, in the right dosage, at the right time all the while reducing harmful and wasteful use of medications. Ultimately, this approach strikes a balance between comprehensive prescription benefits and affordable coverage, reining in costs while improving the health of your workforce. That s what we call Smart Rx! WPS Pharmacy Services Advanced, Cost-Saving Rx Management Partnering with the Nation s Top-Ranked Pharmacy Benefits Manager. WPS partners with Medco Health Solutions, Inc., the world s most advanced pharmacy, to deliver the very best prescription drug management services for you and your employees. Rated the #1 pharmacy benefits manager for the past six years,3 Medco has consistently helped our customers achieve drug cost trends lower than the national average. Medco s retail pharmacy network covers more than 1,000 pharmacies in Wisconsin and nearly 60,000 nationwide, including all major regional and national chains and most independent pharmacies, so you and your employees always have convenient access. Plus, employees can take advantage of Medco s #1 ranked online and mail order pharmacy 4 to save time and money when ordering long-term medications W. Broadway P.O. Box 8190 Madison, WI Medco, Medco Therapeutic Resource Centers, My Rx Choices, RationalMed, and The world s most advanced pharmacy are registered trademarks of Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Kaiser Family Foundation Report, May Towers Perrin, March WilsonRx Study, WilsonRx Study, RxDrgbrch.indd Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation. All rights reserved /18/08 6:45:47 PM

2 Medication Management Smart Rx. Today, prescription drugs are the fastest-growing category of health care costs.1 In the last 15 years, prescription drug prices have risen at almost triple the rate of inflation.1 This alarming trend is linked directly to changes in the types of medications people take and increased utilization.2 The key to controlling prescription costs in your employee population is taking on the twin issues of types of drugs and utilization. It involves careful oversight and encouraging the use of lower-cost alternatives while ensuring your employees receive appropriate care. That s where WPS Pharmacy Services can help. WPS Pharmacy Services teams up with pharmacists and physicians to help make sure your employees receive the right drug, in the right dosage, at the right time all the while reducing harmful and wasteful use of medications. Ultimately, this approach strikes a balance between comprehensive prescription benefits and affordable coverage, reining in costs while improving the health of your workforce. That s what we call Smart Rx! WPS Pharmacy Services Advanced, Cost-Saving Rx Management Partnering with the Nation s Top-Ranked Pharmacy Benefits Manager. WPS partners with Medco Health Solutions, Inc., the world s most advanced pharmacy, to deliver the very best prescription drug management services for you and your employees. Rated the #1 pharmacy benefits manager for the past six years,3 Medco has consistently helped our customers achieve drug cost trends lower than the national average. Medco s retail pharmacy network covers more than 1,000 pharmacies in Wisconsin and nearly 60,000 nationwide, including all major regional and national chains and most independent pharmacies, so you and your employees always have convenient access. Plus, employees can take advantage of Medco s #1 ranked online and mail order pharmacy 4 to save time and money when ordering long-term medications W. Broadway P.O. Box 8190 Madison, WI Medco, Medco Therapeutic Resource Centers, My Rx Choices, RationalMed, and The world s most advanced pharmacy are registered trademarks of Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Kaiser Family Foundation Report, May Towers Perrin, March WilsonRx Study, WilsonRx Study, RxDrgbrch.indd Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation. All rights reserved /18/08 6:45:47 PM

3 Rx Management that s Good for Employees and Your Bottom Line. Our Finger on the Pulse of Patient Care. WPS Pharmacy Services utilizes an array of integrated programs to provide comprehensive prescription drug management to self-funded and fully-insured customers. We work closely with members, and their pharmacists and physicians, to help assure more efficient, safe, and cost-effective use of prescription drugs. Managing care across the continuum of health involves monitoring your employees day-to-day health care needs and behavior. Pharmacies often provide the most consistent, reliable touch points between individuals and the health care system. WPS Pharmacy Services takes advantage of these frequent interactions to: Managing the Fastest-Growing Category of Rx Drug Costs. Specialty drugs (a.k.a. biologicals) are increasingly being prescribed for diseases formerly treated with traditional drug therapy, resulting in a 32-fold increase in drug expenses per patient per year.5 To manage growing demand and rising costs, our pharmacy team carefully monitors the delivery of specialty drugs to ensure that members take advantage of cost-effective, conventional therapies whenever possible. When members require specialty medications, we provide guidance to optimize purchase channels and facilitate self-administration. Assisting Members with Chronic Conditions. Medco s Therapeutic Resource Centers employ a team of specialist pharmacists who have advanced training in the medications used to treat certain chronic conditions, including diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. These pharmacists review mail order and retail prescription orders and member medication profiles to look for ways to improve medication compliance, avoid harmful drug interactions, and reduce costs. Medco s pharmacists are available 24/7 to assist and educate members and their doctors. 5 Towers Perrin, March 2008 RxDrgbrch.indd 2 Detecting Gaps and Errors in Drug Therapy. Medco s award-winning patient-safety program, RationalMed, analyzes pharmacy data to prevent adverse drug events, alerting a member s physician if it detects incorrect dosing, incompatible drug combinations, misuse of medications, or redundant treatment. This unique clinical program not only helps protect the health of your employees, it also reduces unnecessary health care costs. Driving Use of Effective, Low Cost Medications. Most health conditions can be treated by a wide variety of prescription drugs, all providing similar benefits. Our Step Therapy program examines these medications and separates them into first-step (less expensive treatments proven to be safe and effective for most people) and second-step (more expensive alternative) categories. We encourage members and their doctors to start treatment with a first-step drug. If that therapy proves less than optimal, we authorize a second-step option. This simple program reduces unnecessary utilization of costly medications, adding up to big savings for you. Saving Time & Money through Mail Order. Medco By Mail helps members with mail order benefits save time and money when ordering and managing long-term medications. Refills may be ordered online, by phone, or by mail. Members can receive up to a 90-day supply, often with lower out-of-pocket costs, and free shipping. That means fewer trips to the drugstore plus safe, reliable, fast service from Medco s top-rated home delivery pharmacy. In addition, you save on overall pharmacy costs thanks to special pricing discounts available only through mail order. Empowering Members with Innovative Consumer Tools. Medco s My Rx Choices Web tool empowers members to easily identify potential lower-cost medication alternatives online in one easy step. Members can review their lower-cost options and print a convenient kit listing these options to discuss with their doctor. What s more, through tools located on Medco s Web site, members can quickly refill and renew prescriptions, locate pharmacies, and review prescription history and expenses. True Cost Transparency. Savings You Can See. With most pharmacy benefits, you have set reimbursement rates. That usually means you don t see a dime things differently. We ve negotiated Improve outcomes by helping to ensure members receive the right drug, in the right dosage, at the right time. pass through pricing with Medco Reduce the incidence of adverse drug events. that means if we get better terms Engage members and their physicians in making better, more cost-effective use of prescription drugs. if your pharmacy benefit manager negotiates a better price. WPS does from a pharmacy, those savings are passed on to you.6 This advanced, proactive approach lowers overall pharmacy costs while supporting the very best in patient care. The Right Pharmacy Services. Right Here for You. Specialty Drugs Require Specialized Management. With the exponential growth of specialty drugs, WPS puts strong emphasis on managing their purchase and administration. The following is a common example of how we intervene to help employers and members realize tremendous savings. Since 1946, WPS mission has been to provide affordable, comprehensive health coverage for our friends and neighbors right here in Wisconsin. In today s health insurance marketplace, WPS Pharmacy Services delivers needed solutions to help employees improve their health while lowering health care costs for employers. A full round of Neulasta injections (a self-administrable specialty cancer medication) can cost as much as $55,000 if purchased and administered at a doctor s office. Our clinical team regularly intervenes when we preauthorize prescriptions for this drug to ensure it is obtained in-network and that the member is trained on self-administration. This routine practice not only saves nearly Monitor medication compliance. $20,000 per round of treatment, it s also more convenient for the members since they no longer have to make multiple trips to the clinic for treatment. Contact your local agent to learn more about WPS Pharmacy Services. Or, call WPS at Available to self-funded groups only. 12/29/08 3:57:29 PM

4 Rx Management that s Good for Employees and Your Bottom Line. Our Finger on the Pulse of Patient Care. WPS Pharmacy Services utilizes an array of integrated programs to provide comprehensive prescription drug management to self-funded and fully-insured customers. We work closely with members, and their pharmacists and physicians, to help assure more efficient, safe, and cost-effective use of prescription drugs. Managing care across the continuum of health involves monitoring your employees day-to-day health care needs and behavior. Pharmacies often provide the most consistent, reliable touch points between individuals and the health care system. WPS Pharmacy Services takes advantage of these frequent interactions to: Managing the Fastest-Growing Category of Rx Drug Costs. Specialty drugs (a.k.a. biologicals) are increasingly being prescribed for diseases formerly treated with traditional drug therapy, resulting in a 32-fold increase in drug expenses per patient per year.5 To manage growing demand and rising costs, our pharmacy team carefully monitors the delivery of specialty drugs to ensure that members take advantage of cost-effective, conventional therapies whenever possible. When members require specialty medications, we provide guidance to optimize purchase channels and facilitate self-administration. Assisting Members with Chronic Conditions. Medco s Therapeutic Resource Centers employ a team of specialist pharmacists who have advanced training in the medications used to treat certain chronic conditions, including diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. These pharmacists review mail order and retail prescription orders and member medication profiles to look for ways to improve medication compliance, avoid harmful drug interactions, and reduce costs. Medco s pharmacists are available 24/7 to assist and educate members and their doctors. 5 Towers Perrin, March 2008 RxDrgbrch.indd 2 Detecting Gaps and Errors in Drug Therapy. Medco s award-winning patient-safety program, RationalMed, analyzes pharmacy data to prevent adverse drug events, alerting a member s physician if it detects incorrect dosing, incompatible drug combinations, misuse of medications, or redundant treatment. This unique clinical program not only helps protect the health of your employees, it also reduces unnecessary health care costs. Driving Use of Effective, Low Cost Medications. Most health conditions can be treated by a wide variety of prescription drugs, all providing similar benefits. Our Step Therapy program examines these medications and separates them into first-step (less expensive treatments proven to be safe and effective for most people) and second-step (more expensive alternative) categories. We encourage members and their doctors to start treatment with a first-step drug. If that therapy proves less than optimal, we authorize a second-step option. This simple program reduces unnecessary utilization of costly medications, adding up to big savings for you. Saving Time & Money through Mail Order. Medco By Mail helps members with mail order benefits save time and money when ordering and managing long-term medications. Refills may be ordered online, by phone, or by mail. Members can receive up to a 90-day supply, often with lower out-of-pocket costs, and free shipping. That means fewer trips to the drugstore plus safe, reliable, fast service from Medco s top-rated home delivery pharmacy. In addition, you save on overall pharmacy costs thanks to special pricing discounts available only through mail order. Empowering Members with Innovative Consumer Tools. Medco s My Rx Choices Web tool empowers members to easily identify potential lower-cost medication alternatives online in one easy step. Members can review their lower-cost options and print a convenient kit listing these options to discuss with their doctor. What s more, through tools located on Medco s Web site, members can quickly refill and renew prescriptions, locate pharmacies, and review prescription history and expenses. True Cost Transparency. Savings You Can See. With most pharmacy benefits, you have set reimbursement rates. That usually means you don t see a dime things differently. We ve negotiated Improve outcomes by helping to ensure members receive the right drug, in the right dosage, at the right time. pass through pricing with Medco Reduce the incidence of adverse drug events. that means if we get better terms Engage members and their physicians in making better, more cost-effective use of prescription drugs. if your pharmacy benefit manager negotiates a better price. WPS does from a pharmacy, those savings are passed on to you.6 This advanced, proactive approach lowers overall pharmacy costs while supporting the very best in patient care. The Right Pharmacy Services. Right Here for You. Specialty Drugs Require Specialized Management. With the exponential growth of specialty drugs, WPS puts strong emphasis on managing their purchase and administration. The following is a common example of how we intervene to help employers and members realize tremendous savings. Since 1946, WPS mission has been to provide affordable, comprehensive health coverage for our friends and neighbors right here in Wisconsin. In today s health insurance marketplace, WPS Pharmacy Services delivers needed solutions to help employees improve their health while lowering health care costs for employers. A full round of Neulasta injections (a self-administrable specialty cancer medication) can cost as much as $55,000 if purchased and administered at a doctor s office. Our clinical team regularly intervenes when we preauthorize prescriptions for this drug to ensure it is obtained in-network and that the member is trained on self-administration. This routine practice not only saves nearly Monitor medication compliance. $20,000 per round of treatment, it s also more convenient for the members since they no longer have to make multiple trips to the clinic for treatment. Contact your local agent to learn more about WPS Pharmacy Services. Or, call WPS at Available to self-funded groups only. 12/29/08 3:57:29 PM

5 Rx Management that s Good for Employees and Your Bottom Line. Our Finger on the Pulse of Patient Care. WPS Pharmacy Services utilizes an array of integrated programs to provide comprehensive prescription drug management to self-funded and fully-insured customers. We work closely with members, and their pharmacists and physicians, to help assure more efficient, safe, and cost-effective use of prescription drugs. Managing care across the continuum of health involves monitoring your employees day-to-day health care needs and behavior. Pharmacies often provide the most consistent, reliable touch points between individuals and the health care system. WPS Pharmacy Services takes advantage of these frequent interactions to: Managing the Fastest-Growing Category of Rx Drug Costs. Specialty drugs (a.k.a. biologicals) are increasingly being prescribed for diseases formerly treated with traditional drug therapy, resulting in a 32-fold increase in drug expenses per patient per year.5 To manage growing demand and rising costs, our pharmacy team carefully monitors the delivery of specialty drugs to ensure that members take advantage of cost-effective, conventional therapies whenever possible. When members require specialty medications, we provide guidance to optimize purchase channels and facilitate self-administration. Assisting Members with Chronic Conditions. Medco s Therapeutic Resource Centers employ a team of specialist pharmacists who have advanced training in the medications used to treat certain chronic conditions, including diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. These pharmacists review mail order and retail prescription orders and member medication profiles to look for ways to improve medication compliance, avoid harmful drug interactions, and reduce costs. Medco s pharmacists are available 24/7 to assist and educate members and their doctors. 5 Towers Perrin, March 2008 RxDrgbrch.indd 2 Detecting Gaps and Errors in Drug Therapy. Medco s award-winning patient-safety program, RationalMed, analyzes pharmacy data to prevent adverse drug events, alerting a member s physician if it detects incorrect dosing, incompatible drug combinations, misuse of medications, or redundant treatment. This unique clinical program not only helps protect the health of your employees, it also reduces unnecessary health care costs. Driving Use of Effective, Low Cost Medications. Most health conditions can be treated by a wide variety of prescription drugs, all providing similar benefits. Our Step Therapy program examines these medications and separates them into first-step (less expensive treatments proven to be safe and effective for most people) and second-step (more expensive alternative) categories. We encourage members and their doctors to start treatment with a first-step drug. If that therapy proves less than optimal, we authorize a second-step option. This simple program reduces unnecessary utilization of costly medications, adding up to big savings for you. Saving Time & Money through Mail Order. Medco By Mail helps members with mail order benefits save time and money when ordering and managing long-term medications. Refills may be ordered online, by phone, or by mail. Members can receive up to a 90-day supply, often with lower out-of-pocket costs, and free shipping. That means fewer trips to the drugstore plus safe, reliable, fast service from Medco s top-rated home delivery pharmacy. In addition, you save on overall pharmacy costs thanks to special pricing discounts available only through mail order. Empowering Members with Innovative Consumer Tools. Medco s My Rx Choices Web tool empowers members to easily identify potential lower-cost medication alternatives online in one easy step. Members can review their lower-cost options and print a convenient kit listing these options to discuss with their doctor. What s more, through tools located on Medco s Web site, members can quickly refill and renew prescriptions, locate pharmacies, and review prescription history and expenses. True Cost Transparency. Savings You Can See. With most pharmacy benefits, you have set reimbursement rates. That usually means you don t see a dime things differently. We ve negotiated Improve outcomes by helping to ensure members receive the right drug, in the right dosage, at the right time. pass through pricing with Medco Reduce the incidence of adverse drug events. that means if we get better terms Engage members and their physicians in making better, more cost-effective use of prescription drugs. if your pharmacy benefit manager negotiates a better price. WPS does from a pharmacy, those savings are passed on to you.6 This advanced, proactive approach lowers overall pharmacy costs while supporting the very best in patient care. The Right Pharmacy Services. Right Here for You. Specialty Drugs Require Specialized Management. With the exponential growth of specialty drugs, WPS puts strong emphasis on managing their purchase and administration. The following is a common example of how we intervene to help employers and members realize tremendous savings. Since 1946, WPS mission has been to provide affordable, comprehensive health coverage for our friends and neighbors right here in Wisconsin. In today s health insurance marketplace, WPS Pharmacy Services delivers needed solutions to help employees improve their health while lowering health care costs for employers. A full round of Neulasta injections (a self-administrable specialty cancer medication) can cost as much as $55,000 if purchased and administered at a doctor s office. Our clinical team regularly intervenes when we preauthorize prescriptions for this drug to ensure it is obtained in-network and that the member is trained on self-administration. This routine practice not only saves nearly Monitor medication compliance. $20,000 per round of treatment, it s also more convenient for the members since they no longer have to make multiple trips to the clinic for treatment. Contact your local agent to learn more about WPS Pharmacy Services. Or, call WPS at Available to self-funded groups only. 12/29/08 3:57:29 PM

6 Medication Management Smart Rx. Today, prescription drugs are the fastest-growing category of health care costs.1 In the last 15 years, prescription drug prices have risen at almost triple the rate of inflation.1 This alarming trend is linked directly to changes in the types of medications people take and increased utilization.2 The key to controlling prescription costs in your employee population is taking on the twin issues of types of drugs and utilization. It involves careful oversight and encouraging the use of lower-cost alternatives while ensuring your employees receive appropriate care. That s where WPS Pharmacy Services can help. WPS Pharmacy Services teams up with pharmacists and physicians to help make sure your employees receive the right drug, in the right dosage, at the right time all the while reducing harmful and wasteful use of medications. Ultimately, this approach strikes a balance between comprehensive prescription benefits and affordable coverage, reining in costs while improving the health of your workforce. That s what we call Smart Rx! WPS Pharmacy Services Advanced, Cost-Saving Rx Management Partnering with the Nation s Top-Ranked Pharmacy Benefits Manager. WPS partners with Medco Health Solutions, Inc., the world s most advanced pharmacy, to deliver the very best prescription drug management services for you and your employees. Rated the #1 pharmacy benefits manager for the past six years,3 Medco has consistently helped our customers achieve drug cost trends lower than the national average. Medco s retail pharmacy network covers more than 1,000 pharmacies in Wisconsin and nearly 60,000 nationwide, including all major regional and national chains and most independent pharmacies, so you and your employees always have convenient access. Plus, employees can take advantage of Medco s #1 ranked online and mail order pharmacy 4 to save time and money when ordering long-term medications W. Broadway P.O. Box 8190 Madison, WI Medco, Medco Therapeutic Resource Centers, My Rx Choices, RationalMed, and The world s most advanced pharmacy are registered trademarks of Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Kaiser Family Foundation Report, May Towers Perrin, March WilsonRx Study, WilsonRx Study, RxDrgbrch.indd Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation. All rights reserved /18/08 6:45:47 PM